What are empty calories? Doesn’t that doughnut look good! Anything ’empty’ couldn’t be healthy, right? When you get more calories than you need, you know what happens. You gain weight. This is especially true with the calorie ridden American diet most of us are used to. We love our pizza! But, olive oil is empty calorie and snacks like wheat crackers are, too.
If you want to feel better, get healthier and lose weight, you have to eat certain foods. But, losing weight isn’t always healthy if you are not getting all the nutrients you need. A low nutrient diet can actually make you feel hungrier trapping you in a vicious cycle of binge eating the same old junk and snack foods.
Choosing higher nutrient content foods will likely reduce your hunger. Changing foods to those that are healthier changes ones taste buds to crave more of them. It takes time to get used to, but you will look forward to more fruits and vegetables after a while.
How do you get around the empty calorie trap? You have to eat more whole food. This means avoiding anything which has been processed or refined. Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Processed foods (mostly anything that comes in a package, can or box) have fewer nutrients, while plant based food has everything you need. It is high in fiber making you feel full and content without all that unhealthy cholesterol.
Examples of empty calorie processed and refined foods to avoid…
- Cookies, cake, pie, pastries, pasta, bread and crackers
- Anything made with any grain flour like cereal and pancakes
- Oils like safflower, corn and olive oil
- Snacks and junk foods in a box or bag
- Don’t cook with oil or drizzle it on your salad
- Limit nuts, seeds, olives and avocados
- Avoid all animal products like meat and dairy
- Cut out sugary drinks and sugar in general, especially fructose
Keep your diet simple, ‘whole and plant based’…
- Eat beans and legumes
- Have a large green leafy salad with lunch and dinner
- Add steamed vegetables like broccoli to your plate
- Eliminate all forms of grain except for brown rice
- Have a baked potato! See recipe
- Don’t consume any animal products
- Never use any oil
- Cast out all sugar from your life
- Read all labels
- If you eat nuts and seeds, only sprinkle a few over your daily salads
